Free Agency: I think Comerica Park would be a great fit for Carl Crawford's game but the Tigers will not win the bidding on him. We are in desperate need of some power. The infusion will be Adam Dunn who will mostly DH but play some 1B and OF. 5 yrs/60 mill? Catcher should also be addressed, Toronto's John Buck is having a career year and is making 2 mill this year. Would 3 yrs/20 mill bring him in? I'd like to see a veteran SP acquired as well and LHP Ted Lilly would slot in nicely 3 yrs/33mill. (Thats 30 mill/yr on FA but again $50 mill coming off the books and at end of 2011 C Guillen's 12 mill comes off books as well). Of the 3 Buck is the riskiest pick with the shortest track record but the Tiger's catching has been lousy.

I'd let Peralta and Inge walk and fill those spots internally with SS Worth and despite his marginal defense with Raburn at 3B. Raburn has shown us he can flat out hit and to avoid the miserable slumps we have to get some hitters in the lineup. FA is somewhat bare at 3B unless we try to outbid for Adrian Beltre but I already have us spending big. Raburn is a nice internal option who can hit and saves us some money. Peralta is an avg hitter and marginal fielder at either position who will cost a decent penny. I prefer Worth's exceptional defense at SS especially with Inge gone from 3B. The Tiger's still have not replaced Polanco at 2B. Will RHymes has impressed but big money is going to Carlos Guillen and he can still hit so he starts at 2B. Rhymes will get plenty of playing time in bw DL visits for Guillen. In the Outfield I have serious doubts as to what is wrong with Boesch. He has not hit in a while and is suspect chasing down fly balls. C Wells is a superior fielder who can cover in center with good early results at the plate. I dont trust the 2 of these guys with 2 starting spots though so I make a case for re-signing Damon (1 yr) who didnt have a big year for us but gets on base, is a good situationaly hitter, fields the ball well and is a good veteran teammate. Expecting them to make an additional signing like Jayson Werth is a stretch.

Absolutely not on Buck - he couldn't even hold a starting gig in KC over Kendall. Buck is riding a career year and has never proven anything. Laird needs to hit the curb - his Mendoza line is pathetic. His defense regressed so much this year, it's not even funny. Avila is a backup. His defense got much better, but his hitting still sucks.

Need to protect Miggy. Get a big bat. I don't love the Dunn idea, because he's worse than Jermaine Dye in the OF, but if they cut Guillen (please - he's worthless here), sign Dunn immediately. Pitchers will pitch around a high power guy with a low ave - see Jose Bautista.

I would consider resigning Maggs - how often do you get a .300/.380/.820 guy for $5-7M? Maggs produces and his defense isn't THAT bad. I'd resign him and platoon him with a guy like Raburn or Wells.

Boesch needs to start in AAA and figure out whatever the F his deal is.

Rhymes should start at 2B. He's earned his spot more than any of these bums on the team. Good #2 hitter - gets a good amount of BBs, Ks very little, contact hitter. Sounds like Polanco.

Resign Inge at $3-4M. Defense is still good. Dump Peralta and go after a good fielding SS. I'm sick of watching chumps in the infield struggling to field balls...along with their sub-.250 BA.

This team needs speed and power.

Oh - and Jimmy, let these guys STEAL bases!!! Take a note from Ozzie and steal some f'ing bags - that's how you score guys with slap single hitters. CoPA is not a bandbox like US Cell or Stankee stadium - steal some f'ing bases to put guys in RISP.

which catcher do u go after? With Avila not a reliable starter yet, there going to have to find someone. id rather have Buck than Laird. i like the idea of signing maggs but he may not sign for that cheap. I think u pay DUnn big and make him the DH. After Cabrera nobody has 20 HR s this year and DUnn gets on base. Raburn is terrible in the OF and I cant watch him out there anymore, I know 3B is the tougher spot but he seems to play better there. Guillen is never healthy but he plays well in bw DL spots. I like the Lee idea but teams will probably pay way over value for him. The Tigers starting pitching has shaped up lately, we just cant score thats why the premium money would go to bats.

September 6th, 2010, 8:13 pm

conversion02

RIP Killer

Joined: January 26th, 2005, 9:34 pmPosts: 10493Location: Sycamore, IL

Re: speculating 2011 Tigers

I'd rather have Buck than Lard too, but not for $7-8M per like he's going to want. It may be time to trade for a catcher. I don't like trading for a catcher, but that Nats have 2 stud catchers in the minors (since they just got Ramos from the Twinkies). Neither should cost and arm or leg.

Raburn butchers any ball he's near. It's amazing that he always seems to track down those foul balls near the wall, but loses anything high, straight at him, in the lights. He's awful. It's hard to take his bat away though, especially with the lack of hitters on this team. He's been awesome lately.

Maggs may or may not sign for $5-7M (I'd go up to $9 tops). Dunn is awful in the field, but I'd take his bat anyday. DH him, cut Guillen. Maggs can play the field, I can live with that. He's always been healthy, minus a fluke injury.

Guillen is a complete waste of a roster spot. Awful at 2nd, awful in LF. His bat doesn't even warrant keeping him as a DH. He's taking a useful spot for a 4th OFer, a full time DH, or a utility infielder.

Lee has been dominant since figuring it all after 2007. How much is it worth to have a consistent mid-3 ERA pitchers, with a sub 1.2 WHIP, and a 10+ K/BB ratio? Oh, he also has 13 CG's over the past 2 years. If Verlander is worth $80M, I'd say Lee's worth $120M easy.

If you ve read the papers lately they seem to be making a push for Avila becoming the unquestioned starting catcher, I dont think he s ready. Trading for a young catcher like Ramos might be more than what we need though bc I do see a future for Avila.

Dombrowski said today that he is comfortable with Rhymes and Sizemore as options for 2B next year. Does that mean Guillen is out? I think so but I dont think he s so bad that we just dump his 13 millions. So where does Guillen play? He like Raburn is a terrible OFer. Where does Raburn play? Can he come back to the infield? He clearly is a much more productive player when playing everyday. 3B?

As far as Magglio is concerned, I think he s a great player but Dunn is more of a sure bet bc of younger age and less injuries and can be had for less than what we paid Magglio this past season. He can DH and take an occassional start at 1B or RF. I wouldnt pay Lee 120 mill like you suggest although that may be close to what teams end up paying for him.

At SS the newspapers seem to indicate that keeping Peralta is the right move? If this is so and we keep Inge at 3b how do we expect to get any better if all we ve done is bring back the same average team?

September 9th, 2010, 8:10 pm

wjb21ndtown

Re: speculating 2011 Tigers

IMO we have to do something about out horrific offense before we worry about adding another quality starter. I got so sick of seeing a man on 3rd with no outs and 0 runs for the inning - RIDICULOUS!!! Equally ridiculous is the number of games that we lose after our pitching staff only gives up 3 runs.

We need one good bat and at least one mediocre bat (270+ with a little power) to get this offense rolling. IMO that is much more important than getting another quality pitcher. It may be time for Inge to move on, but if we keep him he needs to bat 8th or 9th for this team to be successful.

I think that it is also important to keep in mind that we still have Porcello, who is making decent coin and still has the potential to be great.

Raburn is playing himself into a starting gig for next year. As much as I hate the guy in the field, he's really trying to earn a starting gig.

Even Don Kelly is playing his way onto the roster for next year. He's hitting everything lately.

My lineup:1) Jackson, CF2) Rhymes, 2B (I really like him in the 2 hole, works counts, makes contact, great bunter).3) Maggs, RF/DH (dood had a .300/.380/.830 line before he got hurt - that's damn good protection for Miggy)4) Cabrera, 1B5) Dunn, DH ($12-13 sounds about right).6) Peralta, SS (Yes, I'm an oddity that thinks Peralta is still solid at SS)7) Inge, 3B (Please don't spend $15 on Beltre, he's riding a career year). Boesch/Raburn, LF9) Avila, C (They need to make a trade here. Let Avila get a little PT, but he needs some AAA work on hitting AND blocking breaking balls).

I would try NOT to resign Inge, but only if I could get a very nice SS via trade (the FA market looks like sh!t). If they get one, let Inge walk. If they don't, resign Inge and pick up Peralta's option. That'll be acceptable.

Then...work in a starter - Lee is the real deal and he's become the Ace from day 1. That'd give the Tigs THREE legit aces. Need great starting pitching to compete with Chicago's rotation of Peavy, Buerhle, EJax, Danks, and Floyd. That's a killer rotation.

Work in a few relievers - keep Weinhardt. Bring Furbush to AAA and let him play the entire year, until September. Miner should be back and healthy - he'd take over for Thomas, who can hit the curb. Don't count on Zoom whatsoever. Need 1 or 2 relievers. Do not put Coke in the rotation - keep him in the pen. He's already getting dead arm, imagine when he gets it in June from starting!

1. Austin Jackson CF (.310 8 HR 110 R 35 SB 40 2B)2. Will Rhymes 2B/Scott Sizemore 2B, 3B (Rhymes .285 15 SB, Sizemore .255 10 HRs)3. Magglio Ordonez RF (.315 20 HR 100 RBI)4. Miguel Cabrera 1B (.330 40 HR 135 RBI)5. Dunn DH (260 40 HRs 100 RBI .400 OBP)6. Raburn 3B (He s a terrible fielder I know) (290 25 HRs 85 RBI)7. Boesch LF/Wells OF (Boesch .255 15 HRs, Wells .265 10 HRs)8. Pheralta SS/Santiago IF (Pheralta .260 20 HRs 80 RBI)9. Avila C/anyone who can catch (Avila .245 10 HRs, AWCC .200)Not sure what happens with Carlos Guillen and his microfracture surgery but playing on fibrocartilage hasnt helped out Carlos Beltran who was playing much better when he was in pain than he has after his surgery. Dunn is the big add, I know he doesnt want to DH but he s a great fit for the Tigers and they can pay him damn well. 4 yrs 60 mill. Resign Maggs for 2 yr 14 mill. Boesch and Wells in platoon. Wells can play all OF slots including CF meanng Don Kelly sadly doesnt make team. From the looks of things, Laird is out, Avila is at least auditioning to be the starting C. I dont see them adding V Martinez and nobody seems to believe in John Buck.

Pitching: Looked damn good latelySP Verlander SP ScherzerSP T Lilly SP PorcelloSP Bonderman Verlander/Scherzer are best 1-2 punch in division. Rest of group not so much. Porcello seems like he will have a bounce back year and will be an avg No 4 next year. Bonderman figures to get close to 200 innings next year and maybe with a good season will get 2-3 mph back on his fastball. He ll be better than Oliver next year and we dont win when Galarrage pitches so we keep him. Lilly 3 yrs 27 million. Bonderman 1 yr 6 million.AAA staff: Furbush/Oliver/Gagnier/WeberAA staff: Turner/Villareal/CrosbyBullpen: Long relief : RHP Bonine/LHP B ThomasMiddle Relief : LHP Coke/RHP Perry/RHP Weinardt/RHP ZumayaCP: ValverdeI fully expect Zumaya back but for how long who knows? He is the key to the bullpen. Schlereth will be a big addition by midseason and allow us to get value in trading out B THomas or moving Coke into the rotation. Miner's injury more serious but he could be a factor. I expect Perry to be very good next season. I like Weinhardt for some reason but his numbers seem terrible.

Dombroski said he was going to offer Inge a multi year contract, is he nuts, basically we are going to bring back the same team we had last year. This club is playing in a weak American League division. I don't think much of Dombroski, he signed Cabby thats great, but what about the Sheffield, Washburn, etc etc, believe me our farm system is a joke, Boesh had 1/2 year to get out of his slump and he did nothing, why did we ever get rid of Polanco, Sizemore was supposed to hit, which he never did. Peralta is not a every day player, we need a catcher, how do we know Avila is going to hit, sure he brought his average up 20 pts big deal. How do we know Pappa grande is going to rebound from the slump he had in aug, and sept. We have 3 starters, Verlander, Porcello and the 2 eyed guy. Leyland is talking about making Coke a starter give me a break. NO sorry but this GM we have should take a hike. 2011 will be worse than 2010 if we dont make changes, how could we bring back INGE is beyond me. Zoom probably will never be a pitcher in the Majors.

October 6th, 2010, 6:17 pm

Leroybrown

BANNED

Joined: July 28th, 2010, 4:12 amPosts: 79

Re: speculating 2011 Tigers

conversion02 wrote:

Raburn is playing himself into a starting gig for next year. As much as I hate the guy in the field, he's really trying to earn a starting gig.

Even Don Kelly is playing his way onto the roster for next year. He's hitting everything lately.

My lineup:1) Jackson, CF2) Rhymes, 2B (I really like him in the 2 hole, works counts, makes contact, great bunter).3) Maggs, RF/DH (dood had a .300/.380/.830 line before he got hurt - that's damn good protection for Miggy)4) Cabrera, 1B5) Dunn, DH ($12-13 sounds about right).6) Peralta, SS (Yes, I'm an oddity that thinks Peralta is still solid at SS)7) Inge, 3B (Please don't spend $15 on Beltre, he's riding a career year). Boesch/Raburn, LF9) Avila, C (They need to make a trade here. Let Avila get a little PT, but he needs some AAA work on hitting AND blocking breaking balls).

I would try NOT to resign Inge, but only if I could get a very nice SS via trade (the FA market looks like sh!t). If they get one, let Inge walk. If they don't, resign Inge and pick up Peralta's option. That'll be acceptable.

Then...work in a starter - Lee is the real deal and he's become the Ace from day 1. That'd give the Tigs THREE legit aces. Need great starting pitching to compete with Chicago's rotation of Peavy, Buerhle, EJax, Danks, and Floyd. That's a killer rotation.

Work in a few relievers - keep Weinhardt. Bring Furbush to AAA and let him play the entire year, until September. Miner should be back and healthy - he'd take over for Thomas, who can hit the curb. Don't count on Zoom whatsoever. Need 1 or 2 relievers. Do not put Coke in the rotation - keep him in the pen. He's already getting dead arm, imagine when he gets it in June from starting!

Maybe you have not heard but Dombroski is going to offer Inge a multi year contract, give me a break, what a waste.

October 6th, 2010, 6:18 pm

conversion02

RIP Killer

Joined: January 26th, 2005, 9:34 pmPosts: 10493Location: Sycamore, IL

Re: speculating 2011 Tigers

I'm aware of the supposed "multi-year deal" that was offered. If it's anymore than 2/$7, it's a mistake.